A researcher has uncovered new malware that steals payment card data from point-of-sale terminals used by stores, hotels, and other businesses.

Dexter, as the malware is called, has infected hundreds of point-of-sale computers at big-name retailers, hotels, restaurants, and other businesses, according to a report issued by Aviv Raff, chief technology officer of Israel-based security firm Seculert. Businesses infected in the past three months are located in 40 different countries, with 30 percent of those compromised located in the US, 19 percent in the UK, and nine percent in Canada.

During a penetration test, rarely will the tester get access to a system with the administrator privileges in the first attempt. You are almost always required to use privilege escalation techniques to achieve the penetration test goals.

The mobile era is underway, and 2013 will find people more dependent than ever on their mobile devices to control countless aspects of their personal, public and business lives. The possibilities of this trend are exciting, but heavy reliance and a trove of information on devices are enticing to attackers, putting people, businesses and their most sensitive data at risk.

IDA Pro is the best disassembler in the business. Although it costs a lot, there’s still a free version available. I downloaded IDA Pro 6.2 limited edition, which is free but only supports disassembly of x86 and ARM programs. Otherwise, it supports a myriad of other platforms, which we won’t need here.